Broken Glass
by demonchilde18
Summary: The Final Battle has been won. Things didn't play out as they were supposed to, though.


Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to be. The song is "Looking Glass" by Stone Sour.

A/N: This song is one of my favorites. It is amazing and I just had to do a fic with it. It took me forever to finally get an idea, but finally it came. The actual story doesn't have much at all to do with the song, but the song was so sad, and made me want to cry. That makes the story that goes along with it kind of sad. So, here you go. Don't forget to review!

Beta: The absolutely amazing Sinclair. Thanks a bunch!!

Title: Broken Glass

Summary: The Final Battle has been won. Things didn't play out as they were supposed to, though.

hr 

_ i I'm looking at you through the glass,  
Don't know how much time has passed.  
Oh God it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i  
_

Harry walked quietly through the battlefield. It was finally over, and yet... So many people were now gone. Ron and Hermione; Draco, Lucius and Narcissa; Remus and Sirius; Dumbledore; almost all of Harry friends. All of his family was dead, adopted or not. The only person who had survived (and was truly worth recognizing, in Harry's opinion) was Severus Snape.

_ i Cause I'm looking at you through the glass,_

_Don't know how much time has passed. _

_All I know is that it feels like forever,_

_But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i _

Severus sat in his armchair thinking about the past five months; a book slipping from his hand. Harry had killed Voldemort, but many people had died. No more than a week after the battle, the boy had started traveling the world. He was going to be gone for awhile, but if Severus were honest with himself, he truly wished that the brat would just come back to Britain. The green eyed young man was the only person alive who understood what his life had been like. With a sigh, Severus turned back to his book. That line of thinking would only bring depression.

_ i How do you feel? That is the question.  
But I forget you don't expect an easy answer .  
When something like a soul becomes initialized, infolded up like paper dolls and little notes, you can't expect the bitter folks.  
So while your outside looking in, describing what you see, remember what your staring at is me! /i _

It had only taken Harry a week to realize that he didn't want to be traveling. He wanted to be back in Britain. At the same time, however, he never wanted to step foot there again; so much death and destruction. The only thing still there was Severus. Harry knew that he would eventually go back, if for no other reason than the Potions Master. The young man could feel himself going insane with the memories. Every night, he would wake up sweat drenched, with tears drying on his face. This couldn't continue, but he knew that nothing would change until he confronted his demons: something he wasn't quite ready for yet. 

_ i Cause I'm looking at you through the glass,  
don't know how much time has passed.  
All I know is that it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i _

The brat was back. It had been all over the news papers. "The Boy Who Defeated The Dark Lord Returns." Severus wanted to go to the boy and talk to him. Every night, Severus found himself woken from his nightmares with a scream lodged in his throat. It had to stop. There were no therapists that would help him. They claimed to help, yet did nothing. They might help those that had not suffered as much, but for people like him and Harry, the damage ran much deeper. Everyone that essentially been at the crux of the war was dead. The only person that could help him was Harry.

_ i How much is real? So much the question _

_An epidemic of the medicins, contaminating everything_

_We thought came from the heart, but never did right from the start._

_Just listen to the noises, null and void instead of voices._

_Before you tell yourself it's just a different scene,_

_remember it's just different from what you seen. /i _

Harry wouldn't have been able to explain it to anyone, had there been anyone to explain it to. For some reason, he found himself drawn to the cemetery behind Godric's Hollow. It had become the official war cemetery. If you had helped with the first and second wars against Lord Voldemort, you were buried in this cemetery here. Harry pushed open the heavy iron gate and headed towards the graves. Just as he was able to the see the headstones, it struck the heart-broken man that he couldn't do this. He just couldn't. Harry didn't even look back; he just ran as fast as could away from the horrors of his life.

_ i I'm looking at you through the glass,  
don't know how much time has passed.  
Now all I know is that it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i _

The fire crackled and popped. It was alive; something that Severus had not been for a year now. Just as he was about to go to bed, there was a knock at his door. He shakily stood up, and opened it. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. There on his doorstep was no other than Harry Potter, the boy who Severus had been looking for. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to get his life back.

_ i Cause I'm looking at you through the glass,  
don't know how much time has passed.  
Now all I know is that it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i _

A fast and firm friendship was formed between the two war-torn men. They leant on each and took from each other. When one was ready to give up, the other stepped in and stopped them. They were slowly able to heal from each other. It would be a never-ending process, but slowly everything got easier as they became comfortable around each other.

_ i And it's the stars, the stars, that shine through you._

_And it's the stars, the stars, that light on you.  
And it's the stars, the stars, that shine through you._

_And it's the stars, the stars, that light on you . /i  
_

It took only a year. Harry was sitting in front of the fire, just staring into it. Severus was on the couch. He had a book in hand, but wasn't reading it. He had opted instead to just stare into the fire that seemed to symbolize life itself. He spontaneously got up and sat down next to Harry. After a few moments of silence, they turned to each other and both started to talk at the same time. They both stopped and bright emerald met deep black. As one, they surged forward, and their mouths smashed against each other. The kiss quickly turned hot and heavy. Severus rolled on top of the younger man. Harry was just able to breathlessly command Severus, "Bed. Now." Both men struggled to their feet, never losing contact with one another. They finally made it to the bed; clothes were ripped off and flung everywhere. Neither man would remember anything except for the feeling of finally being home.

_ i I'm looking at you through the glass,  
Don't know how much time has passed.  
Oh God it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i _

"Get out, Potter!" Severus pointed to the door. Harry just glared at him.

"You overgrown bat! I hate you!"

"That seems to very much contradict your last statement." Harry felt his blood run cold. The young man had finally worked up the courage to tell Severus just how much he loved him, and the man had the gall to ask him if that meant that he would be dead in the year. Harry found himself blinking back tears. Of all the things the Potions Master could say to extinguish the flame of love he'd felt burning in his chest, Severus had picked the one thing that would crush Harry the most. Things then took a turn for the worst, however, when Harry accused the older man of not being able to love. After telling Severus just how much he meant to him, the ex-death eater had said nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. Harry had just yelled the first thing that came to mind, and then the fight escalated to where it was now. With a tortured scream, Harry tore out of the room completely forgetting his coat, even though it was mid January and freezing.

_ i Cause I'm looking at you through the glass,  
don't know how much time has passed.  
All I know is that it feels like forever,  
but no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head. /i  
_

Harry sat close to the graveyard. He could not go in, but the green-eyed man was able to sit just outside it. His mind could not help, but turn back to their fight. Severus had picked the one thing that he knew would crush Harry. His eyes fluttered shut as he recalled the expression on Severus' face. It was one of extreme fury, though you would only be able to tell what it was if you knew the man very well. In his minds eye, Harry noticed something that he hadn't before. Maybe it had just been the lighting, but if he wasn't mistaken, the black-haired man's eyes had conveyed a great deal of sadness. Jumping to his feet, Harry realized that it made a lot of sense. Severus would obviously be afraid of loving someone. Harry apparated to Hogsmede, and began running as fast as he could now. Maybe Severus really did love him, but was afraid to say it. After what felt like forever, he finally reached Severus' quarters. He didn't even take the time to knock. The dark-haired young man burst through the door, and looked at Severus.

Speaking with conviction, and slightly out of breath, he said softly, "You do love me, don't you, you overgrown bat?"

For many moments, Severus just looked at Harry, and finally he pinched the bridge of his nose, and the said the words that Harry desperately wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry. I do love you."

After that, no words were spoken as both men did their best to show the other just how much they were loved. Both cried out the other's name as they climaxed. When both woke hours later, they just lay there cuddling and drawing strength in the fashion that had been working for them for a while now. Severus shifted a bit, and Harry took this as the signal that Severus was about to say something. Silence reigned for a few moments more as Severus gathered his thoughts.

"I was thinking."

"Did it hurt?"

"Shush, you impertinent brat." Severus bit his lip. He was a bit nervous as to how Harry would take his suggestion.

"What do you think of finally getting closure?"

"What do you mean?" Severus sucked in a breath.

"Let's go visit the cemetery."

_ i And it's the stars, the stars, that shine through you. _

_And it's the stars, the stars, that light on you.  
And it's the stars, the stars, that shine through you._

_And it's the stars, the stars, that light on you. /i  
_

Harry fell to his knees, the tears streaming down his face. His heart clenched painfully as the once broken man carefully placed a rose on each of the graves in front of him: a beautiful, lively rose for each of his lost family and friends. It hurt, but somehow this time was good for him, when all the other had just been filled with heart-wrenching pain. As a slim hand with elegant fingers landed gently on his back, Harry was reminded why it wasn't so hard to live anymore, why he was not broken any longer. Severus dropped to the ground, gracefully, beside Harry.

"It's okay, love. I have you."

And for the first time in his life, Harry felt the guilt and sorrow lift.

_ i Oh when the stars, oh when the stars... they light!!!! /i _

hr 

(If you don't want to read this, don't. It's just my mind doing some weird stuff. It has always been a bad idea to give my mind free reign. ) Whoa. I've never had this before. I just sat down and in under an hour, I had a story. That's a first for me. This is really angsty and stuff, but for some reason just seemed so right to me. A little tip: the song in the fic? Get it. It is AMAZING. It almost made me cry when I first heard it. I'm done rambling.

Hey do you guys see that little button done there? The one that says 'Would you like to submit a review?' Just click on it and leave me a review. Please and thank you. I always respond. The more reviews I get the better it makes me feel. I actually ended up deleting a story. It wasn't that good, so that probably had something to do with it. Okay, now I'm really done rambling. Sorry!


End file.
